Improved safety-switch for railways



ltntd tat aient tt'tir.

ANTHONY coNARRo, AND ZAK, GEMMILL, 0F WARREN, PENN-v SYLVAN IA.

Letters Patent lNo. 93,17 7, dated August 3, 1869.

IMPROVED SAFETY-SWITCH FOR RAILWAYS. I

The Schedule referred to in these Lettere Patent and making prt of the same.

10 all whom it may concern Be it Aknown that we, ANTHoNY CoNARRo and ZAK. GEMMILL, of Warren, county of Warren, and

vState of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and improved Combination Safety-Switch for Railroads; and we do hereby declare the following a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this vspecification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure l represents a plan of the switch, with main and side rails, and of the switch-stand, hereinafter described;

Figure 2, a sectional view of the switch at x-y of 1 and Figure 3, a side elevation of spring-rail, showing groove, for the object hereinafter specified.

The nature of our invention consists in the devices hereinafter described, for preventing a train from leaving the rail, and securing its entire lsafety in passing over the switch, in case it is open, in one direction, and, in the opposite one, its taking the' siding,.

as intended by the switcln It also greatly facilitates the switching of ears, being so constructed that it is only necessary to open the switch to get on the siding;

Athen, being thrown back, is righted for the main rail,

in lwhich position trains may pass in safety without opening the switch. j

'lo enable others skilled in the art to make and usev our invention, we will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A A are rails of the main track.

B B, curved rails, which, together with the guards C, spring-rails D, and guard-rails E, united by rods d d, are simultaneously operated by the rod j, at the vwill of the switchman.

When the switch is open, a train advancing in the direction of the arrow will pass'l over said switch in the line of main rail, by means of the spring-rails D D, which pelform the functions of part of a continuous rail.

The switch may he so constructed as to be perinanently fixed or stationary, and thus perform simply the function of a frog and chair, and the connectingrails used as switch-rails.

The chair la, to which the curved rail is fastened, is

niade of iron or steel with an outside lip, t', to receive the rail, and extends back, as a foundation for the inside rails and guards.

Upon this chair we now place a section of wood, 7c, asseen in tig. 2, for the purpose of giving elasticity, and thereby preventing its liability otherwise to break, said wood also serving as an inside fastening for the curved rails.

Upon this section of wood we place a top plate, m,

of iron or steel, to which the spring-rails, guard-rails, and guards are attached, and the whole firmly fastened together.

Under the springrail is a stop, q, attached to the plate m, which operates in a groei-'e in the 'lower surface of the spring rail, eifectually preventing saidrail` getting outside of the line of the main rail. i

In order to prevent theflange of a wheel coming in contact with the point of the spring-rail, a slight swell is given to the curved rail beyond the point of springrail.

The switch-stand F is composed of the eccentric g, working within a sliding yoke; and to prevent its going beyond the centre of the same, it is provided with a'stop, s, working in a semicircular groove, t, on its under side.

Having thus fully described our invention, wewish it to be understood that we do not claim a safety-rail,

. actuated by an independent spring, as shown in N.

Specified' A ooNAnno ZAK. GEMMILL.

Witnesses JOHN S. HoLLINGsHEAD, JOHN S, HoLLmGsHEAn, Jr. 

